De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou explained

The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from military operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged bush airplane.

The design was further developed as the de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo, adding turboprop engines and other changes that further improved its short-field performance to the point where it competes with light aircraft even with a full load.

Design and development

The De Havilland Canada (DHC) company's third short takeoff and landing (STOL) design was a big increase in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, and was the first DHC design powered by two engines. The Caribou was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility aircraft. The Caribou was primarily a military tactical transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, which was changed to CV-2 Caribou in 1962.

The majority of Caribou production was destined for military operators, but the type's ruggedness and excellent STOL capabilities requiring runway lengths of only 1200 feet (365 metres)[1] also appealed to some commercial users. U.S. certification was awarded on 23 December 1960. Ansett-MAL, which operated a single example in the New Guinea highlands, and Amoco Ecuador were early customers, as was Air America (a CIA front in South East Asia during the Vietnam War era for covert operations). Other civil Caribou aircraft entered commercial service after being retired from their military users.

Today only a handful are in civilian use.

The Turbo Caribou Program

PEN Turbo Aviation of Cape May, NJ, has undertaken the re-engineering of the DHC-4A Caribou to a turbine powered variant, designated DHC-4A Turbo Caribou. The conversion uses PT6A-67T engines and Hartzell 5 bladed HC-B5MA-3M Constant Speed/Reversing propellers. Overall performance has improved and "new" basic weight is reduced while maximum normal take-off weight remained at Maximum payload is . Both Transport Canada and the US Federal Aviation Administration have issued supplemental type certificates for the Turbo Caribou. As of September 17, 2014, only 3 air frames had been converted. PEN Turbo has stockpiled dozens of air frames at their facility in NJ for possible future conversion. PEN Turbo Aviation named their company after Perry E. Niforos, who died in the 1992 crash of an earlier turboprop Caribou converted by a different firm, NewCal Aviation.[2]

Operational history

In response to a United States Army requirement for a tactical airlifter to supply the battlefront with troops and supplies and evacuate casualties on the return journey, de Havilland Canada designed the DHC-4. With assistance from Canada's Department of Defence Production, DHC built a prototype demonstrator that flew for the first time on 30 July 1958.

Impressed with the DHC4's STOL capabilities and potential, the U.S. Army ordered five for evaluation as YAC-1s and went on to become the largest Caribou operator. The AC-1 designation was changed in 1962 to CV-2, and then C-7 when the U.S. Army's CV-2s were transferred to the U.S. Air Force in 1967. U.S. and Australian Caribou saw extensive service during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. Army purchased 159 of the aircraft and they served their purpose well as a tactical transport during the Vietnam War, where larger cargo aircraft such as the Fairchild C-123 Provider and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules could not land on the shorter landing strips. The aircraft could carry 32 troops or two Jeeps or similar light vehicles. The rear loading ramp could also be used for parachute dropping (also, see Air America).

Under the Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966, the Army relinquished the fixed wing Caribou to the United States Air Force in exchange for an end to restrictions on Army rotary wing operations. On 1 January 1967, the 17th, 57th, 61st Aviation Companies (12th Combat Aviation Group) and the 92nd, 134th, and 135th Aviation Companies of the U.S. Army were inactivated and their aircraft transferred respectively to the newly activated 537th, 535th, 536th, 459th, 457th, and 458th Troop Carrier Squadrons of the USAF (This was Operation "Red Leaf"). On 1 August 1967 the "troop carrier" designations were changed to "tactical airlift".

Some Republic of Vietnam Air Force Caribou were captured by North Vietnamese forces in 1975 and remained in service with that country through to the late 1970s. Following the war in Vietnam, all USAF Caribou were transferred to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard airlift units pending their replacement by the C-130 Hercules in the 1980s.All C-7s have now been phased out of U.S. military service, with the last example serving again under U.S. Army control through 1985 in support of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team. Other notable military operators included Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia and Spain.

In September 1975, a group of 44 civilians, including armed supporters of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), commandeered a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Caribou, A4-140, on the ground at Baucau Airport in the then Portuguese Timor, which was in the middle of a civil war. The Caribou had landed at Baucau on a humanitarian mission for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The civilians demanded that the RAAF crew members fly them to Darwin Airport (also RAAF Base Darwin) in Australia, which they did. After the Caribou arrived there, the Australian government detained the civilians for a short period, and then granted refugee visas to all of them. The Guardian later described A4-140 as "the only RAAF plane ever hijacked", and the incident as "one of the more remarkable stories in Australia’s military and immigration history".[3]

The RAAF retired A4-140, by then its last Caribou, on 27 November 2009.[4] The aircraft, which was manufactured in 1964, was donated to the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.[5]

Civilian operations

After retirement from military use, several examples of the Caribou have been purchased by civilian operators for deployment in areas with small airfields located in rugged country with few or poor surface transport links.

Variants

DHC-4 Caribou
  • STOL tactical transport, utility transport aircraft.
    CC-108
  • Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the DHC-4 Caribou.
    YAC-1
  • This designation was given to five DHC-4 Caribou, sold to the United States Army for evaluation.
    AC-1
  • United States Army designation for the first production run of 56 DHC-4 Caribou. Later redesignated CV-2A in 1962.
    CV-2A
  • United States Army AC-1 redesignated in 1962.
    CV-2B
  • This designation was given to a second production run of 103 DHC-4 Caribou, which were sold to the U.S. Army, with reinforced internal ribbing.
    C-7A/B
  • These designations were applied to all 144 Caribou transferred to the U.S. Air Force by the U.S. Army.
    DHC-4A Caribou
  • Similar to the DHC-4, but this version had an increased takeoff weight.
    DHC-4T Turbo Caribou
  • A conversion of the baseline DHC-4 Caribou powered by the PWC PT6A-67T turboprop engines designed, test flown and certified by the Pen Turbo Aviation company.

    Operators

    Military operators

    /

    Civil operators

    Aircraft on display

    Australia

    Airworthy
    On display

    Costa Rica

    On display

    India

    On display

    Malaysia

    On display

    Spain

    On display

    Thailand

    On display

    United States

    Airworthy
    On display

    References

    Bibliography

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. http://www.c-7acaribou.com/history/images/Caribou_Brochure_Web.pdf "Caribou Sales Brochure – 1962."
    2. Web site: The Turbo Caribou Is One of the World's Best and Rarest Airlifters. Boring. War Is. 22 September 2014. Medium.
    3. News: Henriques-Gomes . Luke . 'It was life or death': the plane-hijacking refugees Australia embraced . 17 January 2021 . . 16 January 2021.
    4. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755757.htm?section=justin "Defence 'workhorse' makes final flight."
    5. Web site: Fitzgibbon. Joel. HONOURING THE CARIBOU'S SERVICE TO AUSTRALIA. Australian Government Department of Defense. 9 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20090510071024/http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/Fitzgibbontpl.cfm?CurrentId=8845. 10 May 2009. 9 March 2009.
    6. Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, p. 24.
    7. http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series3/A4.htm "A4 DHC-4 Caribou"
    8. Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, p. 26.
    9. http://www.nacion.com/2010-07-30/Sucesos/UltimaHora/Sucesos2467068.aspx "Fuerza Pública revive avión militar Caribú – SUCESOS – La Nación" (in Spanish).
    10. Andrade 1982, p. 141.
    11. http://www.scramble.nl/kw.htm "Kuwait Air Force (KAF)."
    12. Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, pp. 26, 28.
    13. http://www.scramble.nl/my.htm "Malaysian Forces Overview."
    14. http://www.scramble.nl/om.htm "Royal Air Force of Oman."
    15. Andrade 1982, p. 204.
    16. Soupart Air Enthusiast March–May 1992, p. 47.
    17. Book: Mesko, Jim. VNAF: South Vietnamese Air Force 1945-1975. Squadron/Signal Publications. 1987. 9780897471930.
    18. Buser, Wayne. "Caribou Roster." Dhc4and5.org, 4 September 2010. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
    19. http://www.fader.dyndns.org/wings/18Police/thaipoliceplane12.htm "Royal Thai Police."
    20. Andrade 1982, p. 231.
    21. Taylor 1971, p. 19.
    22. http://www.aussieairliners.org/dhc-4/vh-bfc/vhbfc.html "VH-BFC. de Havilland DHC-4A Caribou. c/n 23."
    23. http://www.scramble.nl/crbase.htm "Serial MSP002 C-7A MSN 149."
    24. Web site: Hore! Setelah Pom Bensin, Kini Kabupaten Puncak Papua Punya Pesawat. detik.com. 17 September 2016.
    25. Commercial Caribou Users (DHC-4) Page 6 Caribous on Malta. the deHavilland Caribou (DHC-4) and Buffalo (DHC-5) web site . 3 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061020004018/http://www.dhc4and5.org/C2204.jpg . October 20, 2006 . live.
    26. Web site: DHC-4T (Turbo Caribou) | Flightworks. 13 September 2020. 27 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027124357/https://www.flightworks.com/private-air-charter/fleet/dhc4t-turbo-caribou. dead.
    27. Web site: De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou. HARS. 9 December 2016.
    28. Web site: Aircraft Register [VH-VBA]]. Civil Aviation Safety Authority. 9 December 2016. 7 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171007163105/https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft-register?vh=VBA. dead.
    29. Web site: Aircraft Register [VH-VBB]]. Civil Aviation Safety Authority. 9 December 2016. 7 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021032/https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft-register?vh=VBB. dead.
    30. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n A4-140 RAAF, c/n 140. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 10 December 2016.
    31. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n A4-152 RAAF, c/n 152. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 10 December 2016.
    32. Web site: DE HAVILLAND CANADA CARIBOU A4-173 C/N 173. Queensland Air Museum. 9 December 2016. 25 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170825090116/http://qam.com.au/portfolio/de-havilland-canada-caribou-a4-173-cn-173/. dead.
    33. Web site: RAAF A4 De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou. ADF-SERIALS. 10 December 2016. 26 May 2016.
    34. Web site: Caribou. RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Center. 9 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161214154929/http://www.raafamberleyheritage.gov.au/caribou.aspx. 14 December 2016. dead.
    35. Web site: Sharma. Sanjeev. Reconstructing Caribou : A Heritage Rebuilt. Ministry of Defence. 10 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20040330135757/http://www.mod.nic.in/samachar/jan01-04/html/ch11.htm. 30 March 2004. January 2004.
    36. Web site: De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou. Bharat Rakshak. Bharat-Rakshak.com. 10 December 2016. 20 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220083714/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Aircraft/Specs/549-DHC4-Caribou.html. dead.
    37. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou, s/n M21-04 TUDM, c/n 270. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 10 December 2016.
    38. Web site: Aircraft wreck or relic at San Torcuato, Spain. SpottingMode. 10 December 2016.
    39. Web site: Aircraft wreck or relic at Fuenlabrada, Spain. SpottingMode. 10 December 2016.
    40. Web site: Aircraft wreck or relic at Villanubla, Spain. SpottingMode. 10 December 2016.
    41. Web site: Exposición exterior del Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica. Ejército del Aire. 10 December 2016. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045528/http://www.ejercitodelaire.mde.es/ea/pag?idDoc=6BE8938A7DDC4556C125746C00315356. 4 March 2016. dead.
    42. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou, s/n T.9-25 EdA, c/n 053. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 10 December 2016.
    43. Web site: De Havilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou 12271. Fotolibra. 12 June 2018. 12 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612211334/http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/1175853/de-havilland-canada-dhc-4a-caribou-12271/. dead.
    44. Web site: FAA Registry [N6080] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 18 August 2021.
    45. Web site: De Havilland CV-2B Caribou. Cavanaugh Flight Museum. 9 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20140323203224/http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/index.php/component/content/article/86. 23 March 2014.
    46. Web site: FAA REGISTRY [N149HF]]. Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. 9 December 2016. 5 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170305015652/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N149HF. dead.
    47. News: Sullivan . Cole . 1 January 2024 . Historic Addison flight museum announces closure . WFAA . Dallas, Texas . 4 January 2024.
    48. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada YC-7A Caribou, s/n 57-3079 US, c/n 005, c/r CF-LKF-X. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 9 December 2016.
    49. Web site: Fixed Wing. United States Army Aviation Museum. 9 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161222183634/http://armyaviationmuseum.org/index.php/museum/aircraft-collection/2-uncategorised/64-fixed-wing. 22 December 2016.
    50. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada YC-7A Caribou, s/n 57-3080 USAF, c/n 004, c/r CF-LKU-X. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 9 December 2016.
    51. " The History of Dyess Air Force Base, 1941 to the present"; by Lt. Col. George A. Larson (Ret),Shiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pa.,2016. Pg. 208
    52. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada YC-7A Caribou, s/n 57-3083 US, c/n 8. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 9 December 2016.
    53. Web site: Veronico. Nick. Outdoor Exhibits - DeHavilland C-7A "Caribou". Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center. Travis Heritage Center. 9 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160314034354/https://travisheritagecenter.org/html/c7a.html. 14 March 2016.
    54. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou, s/n 60-3767 US. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 9 December 2016.
    55. Web site: de Havilland C-7A 'Caribou'. New England Air Museum. 9 December 2016. 7 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021044/http://www.neam.org/ac-dehavilland-c7a.php. dead.
    56. Web site: De Havilland C-7A Caribou. National Museum of the US Air Force. 9 December 2016. 15 May 2015.
    57. Web site: C-7A "Caribou". Museum of Aviation. 9 December 2016.
    58. Web site: C-7B Caribou. Hill Air Force Base. 9 December 2016. 27 September 2007.
    59. Web site: C-7A Caribou. Air Mobility Command Museum. AMC Museum Foundation, Inc.. 9 December 2016.
    60. Web site: Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n 63-9719 US, c/n 150. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 9 December 2016.
    61. Web site: Aircraft Inventory. Flight Test Historical Foundation. 9 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019025925/http://afftcmuseum.org/exhibits/museum-aircraft-exhibits/. 19 October 2016. dead.